Posted on 05/06/2003 8:40:13 AM PDT by NormsRevenge
Humberto Retana wants to spare other undocumented immigrants the anxiety he felt as a high school sophomore in Texas when he couldn't attend college because he was in the United States illegally.
Retana found peace of mind when he became a citizen through an amnesty program. Now he is working with others in the Bay Area on a more targeted but just as controversial solution: the Student Adjustment Act, a bill in the U.S. House of Representatives that would grant legal status to any child of undocumented immigrants who is pursuing a college education in the United States.
``I asked my dad, `What are we going to do?' '' recalled Retana, 32, who crossed the Texas-Mexico border with his mother when he was 8. ``To me, the question was so overwhelming. I felt utter helplessness.''
Bipartisan support
Many Republicans and Democrats support the plan, saying it would provide a permanent fix to the dilemma facing thousands of undocumented children who grow up in the United States but can be deported even if they manage to earn a degree. These children, they say, are paying a hefty price for the decision their parents made to cross the border.
``The issue is when these students graduate from college, they're still undocumented,'' said Bernardo Merino, a volunteer with the People United for Legalization of Students, a Bay Area group that supports the bill. The federal legislation would ``legalize their status so they can fully contribute to society,'' Merino said.
But a number of national groups that advocate tighter immigration controls oppose the plan, calling it a back door to amnesty.
``This is a strategic move, so amnesty can be expanded to millions of other illegal aliens,'' said Mark Krikorian, executive director of the Center for Immigration Studies. ``The supporters of this have calculated that by targeting the most sympathetic group possible -- college-bound young people -- they can create an environment where a broader amnesty is possible.''
Giving students legal immigration status also sends out a message that illegal immigration to the United States is acceptable, said Dave Ray, a spokesman for the Federation for American Immigration Reform, which also opposes the bill.
``The message this sends is, if you violate our laws, you can get amnesty,'' Ray said.
Obstacles for students
Without a Social Security card, undocumented immigrants often find it difficult to apply for college, even though some states, such as California, do not require the document. In most states, they also don't qualify for financial aid. Even if they manage to complete college, they can't work legally in the United States without a Social Security card.
``The situation for these students is really, really difficult,'' said Claudia Gomez, an advocate with the National Network for Immigrant and Refugee Rights in Oakland. ``They can't legalize their status on their own because there's no mechanism for it.''
For Retana, immigration law reforms in 1986 gave him the break he needed -- amnesty, citizenship and a higher education. He graduated in 1999 from the University of California-Berkeley with a bachelor's degree in psychology.
He spends weekends and nights working as a volunteer with the People United for the Legalization of Students.
``I can identify with them because those circumstances were painful to me,'' Retana said. ``I know it's for the ultimate good of the student and the good of the community.''
"The only true citizens of the US are the American Indians"
No, they crossed the Bering Strait during the last ice age, to be technical, and as such are immigrants.
Ah, but it's no longer about making up for oppression anymore. It's about "diversity." "Diversity" is now the excuse for giving special treatment to illegal aliens who not only chose to come to this country, but may have jumped the fence, like, yesterday.
May I remind your liberal simplistic self that American was not a welfare state when 'our forefathers' were coming to this country? What will you say when 20 million more come over and suck the social services dry? Or 20 million more?
Regarding your specific point about what is needed, I couldn't disagree more. Whats needed is a return to the rule of law. We take in more immigrants than all the other industrial nations combined. All many of us want is that it be legal.
If that makes me a hater then fire away. But before you unload I suggest you stick around & see what those a little more knowledgable on the subject have to say.
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